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NSTAC Report to the President on the National Coordinating Center
Citation National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, NSTAC Report to the President on the National Coordinating Center (May 10, 2006) (full-text). Overview The NSTAC established the National Coordinating Center Task Force (NCCTF) to study the direction of the NCC over the next year, three years, and five years, including — :1. How industry members of the NCC should continue to partner with Government; :2. How the NCC should be structured; and :3. How the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) approach could impact the NCC. Based on the NCCTF's analysis of issues facing the NCC, the NSTAC made the following recommendations: * Direct the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology, the Secretary of Defense, and other ESF#2 Federal support agencies to develop and implement policies and procedures with respect to: (1) managing and escalating requests from the NCC, and (2) the delineation of authorities and responsibilities when ESF#2 is invoked. * Direct the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Homeland Security Council to join with the Communications SCC and the IT-SCC to support an industry-led task force with the primary goal of planning a regional communications and information technology coordinating capability in the Gulf Coast and Southeastern regions prior to the 2006 hurricane season. Subsequently, the task force will determine the best approach for a long-term regional communications and information technology coordinating capability that can serve all regions of the Nation. The task force should primarily be made up of industry representatives, as well as Federal, State, and local Government representatives. * Direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand the NCC to include both communications and IT companies and organizations. This would be a cross-sector industry/Government facility with a round-the-clock watch, and would be brought up to full strength during emergencies. * Direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to engage the private sector in critical infrastructure protection activities by increasing the flow of threat information to the private sector, facilitating private sector participation in impact analyses, and clarifying policies for the protection of private sector information. * Direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to improve the ESF#2 Emergency Response Training and Exercise program, with a focus on enhancing coordination among industry members and Federal, State, and local responders during incidents of national significance. This program should focus on sector interdependencies for both physical and cyber threats, and would aim to produce actionable results. Industry must be involved from the earliest planning stages. * Encourage the Secretary of Homeland Security to improve the Federal Government's cyber response strategy to delineate roles and responsibilities of Government and the private sector in the National Response Plan, aligning communications and cyber operations centers, and enhancing relationships with international computer emergency readiness teams. * Direct the Secretary of Homeland Security and other Government stakeholders to examine the value received from the NCC relationship and, if sufficiently supported, commit the resources necessary to strengthen and support the organization and its mission. Category:Publication Category:Security Category:Cybersecurity Category:2006